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Redline Addiction (Side A)

I first heard of the rock band Redline Addiction while listening to New Driven Radio (I know, I talk about them a lot but it’s a good rock show). I heard their awesome cover track “Hello” (which is a better version than the original performed by Martin Solveig). As I always do, I went to find out more about the rocking band.

This band is made up of the following five crazy guys (it’s true they are crazy!) from Washington, D.C. area. They are:

Rob Robinson “Robbie Rob” “Cojones” - Vocals

Justin Ganderson “Gandy” – Bass/Vocals

Neil Mutreja “Brown” - Guitar

Justin Liberti “Dirty Berti” – Drums

Chris McVey “Rusty” - Guitar/Vocals

Their music is crazy good and what is even better is that they have loads of music to keep a music addict like me happy. They have released 3 albums including their recent release “A to B”. I normally complain that music albums can be too short, but with this band I can’t complain as they released a double CD album for “A to B”. I think all albums should be like this as you can never get enough good music. As you can see from the title of the blog I have split it into two parts for each CD (side A & side B, see what I’ve done there ha ha).

While listening to the album it felt like I was listening to a complication cd. Let me explain before you give me that weird look. The band have covered a lot of different styles in their music which I asked the band about and I also asked them who their main influences are, they replied:

Musically, we take anything that excites us and incorporate it, whether consciously or not. Certainly Justin L, Neil, and I (Rusty) were greatly influenced by 90’s rock initially, including Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Metallica, so every once in a while you will catch that coming out. I alternately was greatly influenced by 80’s alt bands like Depeche Mode and the Cure for moodier moments. More recently I’ve been getting into Grouplove and Bombay Bicycle club and I was really into the Cribs a few years back. Justin G. was more influenced by 80’s punk and the indie rock of the early 00’s, and some more obscure bands like Fairweather, The Get Up Kids, Paul Westerberg but also Nirvana and Jimmy Eat World. Rob was as huge Bob Dylan, Ray LaMontagne, Jeff Buckley, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and Beatles fan and grew up listening to singer songwriters, but then got into the EDM scene in college so he’s a bit eclectic.

I think it’s because of these varied influences that we have such a diverse sound. We are just fans of music, and can usually find something we like in every genre. Music is about expression, feelings, and honesty, but also fun. We find the same value in a sad ponderous song as a silly dance song. There’s a place in all our lives for all of it, it just depends what’s speaking to you at the moment. There’s no shame in liking a silly bubble gum song if it gets you going. That being said we strive to write deeper songs as well if that’s what’s going on in our head. I think it’s important to find a balance between writing dismissible pop songs and taking ourselves too seriously and only writing depressing art songs. When I pick up that guitar or sit down at that piano I am only motivated by my immediate world around me and the circumstances I’ve experienced over the past few weeks.

Our Letters album came out of a pretty dark time in my life and a more introspective time of Ganderson’s which is why we approached it with a more organic sound. It’s a great album but it certainly has a different feel than our new album “A to B”. When we were writing “A to B” we were all in a transitional phase of our lives, but mostly we were a bit happier which is why it’s a bit more upbeat.

Back to the album, “A” is a great album and showcases the bands talent for music. You can definitely hear the various influences that they mentioned earlier. This is a BAND and I mean they they all sound great together. Don’t get me wrong, being a fan of vocals and guitars there are always moments where those elements stand out. I personally think this is the stronger album out of the two CD’s as I found it more difficult to select my favourite tracks. I did eventually choose my three top tracks which you listen to via the Soundcloud links.

My first choice is “Beg you Surrender” which starts the album with a bang (intro reminds me of the intro to Thunderstruck by ACDC) with it’s “let’s rock” vibe and it’s catchy chorus. “Uptown” stood out for me and I can’t describe why, it’s one of those songs that just sounds right. “Our Moment” is one of my favourite written by the band (over all three albums) as I love how it has a feel good anthem vibe about it. It’s one of those tracks that you can’t help singing along to and imagine being a fan favourite during their live performances.

There is more from the band in the second part of the post so stayed tuned. If you don’t then you’ll be missing out! I do recommend that you check out Redline Addiction, if you are a fan of rock then this is the band for you and I’m sure that your new favourite song is waiting for you! Go say hello to the guys or find out more at the following sites. See you on Side B!